What B-EC Is
A BACnet device profile is a standardized capability level: a checklist of things a device must be able to do before it can wear the label. B-EC (BACnet Elevator Controller) is defined in Annex L of ANSI/ASHRAE 135-2024 (clause L.13.2) as a controllable view of an elevator or escalator group: it reports status, generates events, and accepts writes, unlike the read-only B-EM.
The checklist items are BACnet Interoperability Building Blocks (BIBBs). B-EC is a B-role device. A device documents its claim in its PICS (Protocol Implementation Conformance Statement); to verify a claim, ask for the PICS and check the profile line.
Where It’s Used
B-EC fits an elevator or escalator gateway that both reports status and accepts building-system commands.
- Elevator group integration. A controller exposing car status and accepting service or recall commands from the building system.
- Escalator control. A device reporting and controlling escalator run states over BACnet.
- Lift dispatch integration. Surfacing a lift controller to a BMS that both watches and issues commands.
Required Services
The table below is the exhaustive service set required by the B-EC BIBBs. Initiates means the device sends the request or notification; Executes means the device receives and acts on it (responding, for confirmed services). BIBB codes encode the same split: a -A BIBB is the initiating side, a -B BIBB the executing side. A - means the profile does not require that direction; a device may still support it.
| Capability area | Service | Required by BIBB | Initiates | Executes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data sharing | ReadProperty | DS-RP-B | - | Yes |
| Data sharing | ReadPropertyMultiple | DS-RPM-B | - | Yes |
| Data sharing | WriteProperty | DS-WP-B | - | Yes |
| Data sharing | WritePropertyMultiple | DS-WPM-B | - | Yes |
| Data sharing | SubscribeCOV | DS-COV-B | - | Yes |
| Data sharing | ConfirmedCOVNotification | DS-COV-B | Yes | - |
| Data sharing | UnconfirmedCOVNotification | DS-COV-B | Yes | - |
| Data sharing | SubscribeCOVPropertyMultiple | DS-COVM-B | - | Yes |
| Data sharing | ConfirmedCOVNotificationMultiple | DS-COVM-B | Yes | - |
| Data sharing | UnconfirmedCOVNotificationMultiple | DS-COVM-B | Yes | - |
| Alarm and event management | ConfirmedEventNotification | AE-N-I-B | Yes | - |
| Alarm and event management | UnconfirmedEventNotification | AE-N-I-B | Yes | - |
| Alarm and event management | AcknowledgeAlarm | AE-ACK-B | - | Yes |
| Alarm and event management | GetEventInformation | AE-INFO-B | - | Yes |
| Device and network management | Who-Is | DM-DDB-A, DM-DDB-B | Yes | Yes |
| Device and network management | I-Am | DM-DDB-A, DM-DDB-B | Yes | Yes |
| Device and network management | Who-Has | DM-DOB-B | - | Yes |
| Device and network management | I-Have | DM-DOB-B | Yes | - |
| Device and network management | DeviceCommunicationControl | DM-DCC-B | - | Yes |
| Device and network management | TimeSynchronization ¹ | DM-TS-B | - | Yes |
| Device and network management | UTCTimeSynchronization ¹ | DM-UTC-B | - | Yes |
| Device and network management | ReinitializeDevice | DM-RD-B | - | Yes |
The elevator equipment is modeled as hosted objects. The device presents its cars and escalators through Lift and Escalator objects.
¹ The profile requires one of the two time-synchronization services, not both. (Protocol_Revision is a readable property of the device’s Device object.)
Related Profiles
| Profile | How it differs from B-EC |
|---|---|
| B-EM | Elevator Monitor: read-only, no write or time-synchronization requirement |
| B-AEC | Advanced Elevator Controller: adds an event log, internal scheduling, and backup and restore |
| B-EWS | Elevator Workstation: the operator-side profile that displays and commands these devices |
What Chipkin Provides
The CAS BACnet Stack implements the BIBB set the B-EC profile requires, including the Lift and Escalator object model, event generation, and change-of-value reporting. Talk to us about building or integrating a B-EC device on the stack.